The Utah Jazz have been at the center of dozens of trade rumors this summer involving their best player, Lauri Markkanen. Despite that, they didn't part with their best player, even though they don't appear ready to compete with him. However, a surprising new rumor states that they could make a run at another star to pair with Markkanen.
According to NOLA.com New Orleans Pelicans beat writer Christian Clark (subscription required), the Jazz have an interest in trading for star Brandon Ingram. If true, that would be a surprising development since the Jazz would seem like an odd landing spot for Ingram since he was expected to be pursued by contenders.
To put it nicely, the Jazz are far from title contention, let alone the play-in tournament. Then again, with the Jazz planning to keep Markkanen rather than trade him, they will have to try to build around him fast, considering that he is 27 years old.
Would the Utah Jazz trade for Brandon Ingram?
With few teams seemingly interested in trading for Ingram, he may not have much choice other than to start the season in New Orleans. He could potentially agree on an extension then rather than risk getting lowballed in free agency. That may be particularly true with recent free agent guard Tyus Jones, who was expected to get around $15 million a year only to see his market dry up and be forced to take a 1-year, $3.3 million deal with the Phoenix Suns.
Ingram's value may not drop that low, but with the teams projected to have significant cap space next summer in rebuilding mode, they may not be willing to shell out a major contract to a 27-year-old. For the Jazz, they could see him as a realistic trade target who is better than anyone that they could get in free agency, and most of the players they could draft are in the back half of the lottery.
On the other hand, by giving up assets to trade for him, they would have to pay both him and Markkanen. Ingram may expect at least $30 million a year, while Markkanen will sign a 5-year extension worth around $250 million or $50 million on average.
That is a lot for an all-star pairing that might not make the Jazz an immediate contender so it's questionable whether they are actually serious about Ingram or only kicking the tires. Still, if the report is true, then Utah indeed plans to build around Markkanen quickly.